Shoulder-brace.



W. M. GAMBLE. SHOULDER BRAOE. APPLIOATION nun mags, 1907.

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Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

WILL M. GAMBLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOULDER-BRACE Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 29, 1907.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Serial No. 390,590.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILL M. GAMBLE, acitizen of the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Braces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in combination shoulder braces and suspenders.

The salient object of the invention is to simplify the construction and minimize the cost of the same, while at the same time preserving all of the desirable features embodied in a similar construction heretofore patented to me. Incidentally, I secure certain advantages or improvements over the prior construction referred to, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view showing the device as viewed from the rear; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail of the lower end of one of the cross-braces; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary details (on a larger scale) in plan and cross section respectively, of one of the cross-braces. Fig. 6 is-a detailed perspective view with parts broken out showing the manner of connecting the cross-braces to the cross strap.

In a prior patent granted to me, No. 531,372, dated December 25, 1894, there is shown a device upon which the present invention is an improvement.

Referring to the drawings, numbers 1 and 1 designate the two cross-braces, which consist of spring steel strips of suitable length,

crossed about mid length and permanently secured together by means of a pivot, stud or rivet 2 which permits them to oscillate relatively to each other. Both of said cross braces are snugly covered with fabric throughout their full lengths, as indicated at 3. In covering the cross-springs, I form tubular jackets or covers by whip-sewing together the raw edges of said strips, as shown at 4, these jackets being made of such internal sizes as to fit snugly when the springs are inserted endwise therein. The end margins at one end of each jacket are turned inwardly to produce double-thick hems and prior to cross-stitching these hems, as indicated at 5, I insert the buckle straps 6 Within the ends of the respective jackets alongside of the springs therein. The hem seams 5 are then made closely contiguous to the ends of the springs, and the single cross seam thus serves, not only to finish the end of each jacket, but at the same time joins the buckle strap eX- tending to the cross-braces by a line of stitching passing through the folded hem at both sides of the jacket and through the doubled, inserted buckle strap.

The ends of the jacket at the lower ends of the cross-braces are not turned inwardly, but

are folded back upon one side of the cross brace in such manner as to conform to the pointed or obliquely cut edges 7, 8 of the spring (see detail Fig. 2), and so as to overlie a slot 9 punched through the spring. These ends of the cross-braces are then inserted between the two plies of a cross-strap 10 a plied to extend across the lower ends of tie braces, and the ends of the braces are rigidly united to said cross strap by first stitching through the superposed parts and through the slot 9, as indicated at 11., and then further reinforced by placing lines of stitches 12 and 13 upward with and closely contiguous to the lower edge of the brace and the oblique end margin 7 thereof respectively, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The triple lines of stitches insure a strong and durable connection of the parts, and a single operation of assembling and stitching serves both to unite, and to conceal and finish the raw edges of the lower ends of the jackets. The combined shoulder and under-arm straps 13 have their ends united to the upper ends of the cross-braces and the outer ends of the cross-strap 10 by means of buckles 1 1 and 15. Desirably the straps 13 are provided with cushioning pads 16 mounted upon the inner sides thereof at the points where these straps pass over the pectoral muscles. Front supporting straps 17 are connected with the. straps 13 at points just below the pad 16, as shown clearly in Fig. 1; these supporting straps being provided with the usual button loops 18 of any suitable construction. A back-supporting strap 19 is connected with the crossraces at the point of intersection of the latter; this strap being inserted between the the cross-braces produce an extremely neat and finished article, very considerably economizes in the use of covering fabric as com pared With those constructions in which the two springs are inclosed in a covering common to the two, and the same time permits the braces, when pivoted together as described, to assume the exa t to fit the wearer and secure the greatest freedom from (lisagreeable displacing stresses when in use., The cross-braces are free to assume that angle which fits the wearer Whether he be broad-shouldered and shortvaisted or the reverse; it being noted that the cross-strap i0 in practice made long enough to permit the braces to assume the greatest angle of intersection necessary. The construction is such that the jackets for the braces may be made in any desired lengths upon a suitable Whip-sewing machine and sections of the proper length to cover a single brace afterward cut of This economizes both in mat rial and cost of making. The subsequent uniting of the crossed. braces with the buckle straps and with the cross-straps is readily accomplished by the use of an ordinary sewing machine and With the utmost soeed-and facility because of the simple cl acter of the seams and the manner in which they are exposed for stitching. Moreover, the lines of stitching, as hereinbefore described, are so placed as to pass through the maximum number of thicknesses of the fabric which sustains the stresses of use, so that, considered as a Whole, the article is extremely economical of manufacture and dorable.

I claim as my invention:

1.. In combined shoulder braces and suspenders, a pair of crossed spring braces, each provided with an individual jacket or covering, one end of each of said cross braces being provided with a slot extending through the metal portion thereof, a cross strap extending across the slotted end of said crossed braces and lines of stitching extending through said cross strap and through the slots of the crossed braces.

2. In combined shoulder braces and suspenders, a pair of crossed spring strip braces, each provided with an individual tubular jacket or covering closely fitting and conforming to the spring strip throughout its angle necessary length, and extending at each end beyond the ends of the spring strips, one end of each of said crossed braces being provided uith a slot extending through the metal portion only thereof, a cross-strap extending across the slotted ends of said crossed braces, and lines of stitching extending through said cross strap and through the slots of the crossed braces.

3. In combined shoulder braces and suspenders, a pair of spring strip crossed braces pivotally united to each other, each provided with an individual tubular jacket or covering closely fitting to conform to the spring strip and extending at each end beyond the ends of the latter, one end of each jacket being turned inwardly upon itself to form a hem and the other end folded back upon itself, a buckle strap inserted in the inturned end of each of said jacket coverings and secured therein by a line of cross-stitching extending through the inturned portion of the jacket and forming the hem, a cross strap extending across the opposite ends of said braces and having two ply portions at the points where the braces intersect said crossstrap and between which two-ply portions said braces are inserted, and means uniting the braces with the cross strap comprising a line of stitching extending through the double ply crossed braces through the folded back portion of the tubular jacket and through a slot formed in the end of the brace, and additional stitching extending through said cross strap contiguous to and following the margins of the inserted ends of the braces.

4. In combined shoulder braces and suspenders, means for uniting a spring metal fabric-covered brace strip, provided near one of its ends uith a slot, to a cooperating strap or analogous member, of taro-ply construction at the point of union, consisting of a line of stitching extended through the two plies of said strap member, and the interposed slotted portion of the spring strip, and additional stitching extending through the tuo plies of the strap and closely follouing the. margins of the inserted portion of the spring strip. 7

It itnesses:

ALBERT H. Gniivns, FRANK L. BELKNAP. 

